Supporting charities for employment and housing

Our grants to the following organisations support beneficiaries with employment and housing. By working together, we are avoiding duplication, reducing administration and providing a joined-up solution for individuals.

Help for Heroes grant funding of £78,539 supports Alabaré Armed Forces veterans as they make their tough transition to civilian life. Funding is used to provide accommodation, support and practical help in the Alabaré supported homes as veterans progress to independent living.

The Help for Heroes fund will be used to help up to 15 veterans over the next two years. When accepted into a home, a detailed plan is drawn up showing what the veteran hopes to achieve and it is this care which is funded by Help for Heroes. Most veterans live in homes with high to medium support although some need intensive care, moving to a low level support home when they are ready before progressing to independent accommodation.

Chief Executive of Alabaré Andrew Lord says: “It is a great honour to be working with Help for Heroes which has done so very much to highlight the on going needs of veterans. Alabaré is passionate that those who have served their country are given the right support if they find themselves facing adversity and homelessness in civilian life.”

Mr Lord adds: “Timely and appropriate help prevents a further decline in circumstances that can lead to homelessness, deteriorating mental and physical health, unemployment, poverty, addiction problems and the breakdown of relationships.”

Bath Spa University has a reputation for excellence in research, with the vision to be a leading educational institution in creativity, culture and enterprise. Through innovative teaching and research, the University provides a high quality student experience.

Dr Melanie Macer is a Research Fellow at the University who has led a research project entitled 'Identifying barriers that ex-Service personnel and their families can face in their knowledge of and engagement with ‘Access to Higher Education’ diplomas'.

Grant funding of £4,200 from Help for Heroes will be used to support an Armed Forces Consultant post for the project, to specifically support Veterans and their families wishing to engage in higher education at the University.

The post has been filled by a Band of Brothers member. As a veteran himself, he understands the unique challenges facing the Armed Forces community and will work alongside Dr Macer with the aim to deliver three key outcomes over the next two years:

Understand the barriers that adults with an Armed Forces background, including members of the Help for Heroes Band of Brothers and Band of Sisters, can face when engaging in non-traditional routes into Higher Education through Access courses.

Produce evidenced-based recommendations to inform regional and national policy and practice developments for non-traditional routes into Higher Education through Access courses, ensuring they contribute to successful transitions for service leavers, their spouses, partners and adult dependents.

In addition to funding from Help for Heroes, the project is being supported by The Forces in Mind Trust (£97,209) and the apt awards (£7,920).

We wish the team every success with the project and look forward to watching the findings unfold over the next two years.

To find out more about Bath Spa University, visit their website at: www.bathspa.ac.uk

Over the past 62 years, Finchale Training College has provided a service to an increasingly diverse range of adults with disabilities.

All of the programmes delivered by Finchale are customised to address individual need and bring together a wide range of specialist support to achieve sustained employment.

Grant funding of over £333k from Help for Heroes is providing a provision at Finchale Training College that will address the economic and social inclusion of veterans, helping them to overcome multiple and complex barriers.

The programme has been very successful and currently has a 100% progression rate into paid employment, vocational training, further education or voluntary work.

Future For Heroes provide free residential courses that help people of all ranks (serving or retired) make a successful transition back into civilian life. Future For Heroes helps individuals capitalise on their skills, qualifications, experiences and military training, teaching them how to turn a negative into a positive opportunity and try to help them become confident and self- reliant for their future.The Future For Heroes programme is open to all, but primarily focused on the vulnerable, those for whom falling into unemployment, offending and destructive behaviour is a real risk.

Grant funding of £34,000 from Help for Heroes has been used to fund 34 wounded, injured or sick personnel on Future For Heroes Courses, supporting their transition back into civilian life.

Haig Housing Trust (HHT) was established by Haig Homes in 2008 to provide individual housing solutions for members of the ex-Service community in housing need, especially those with serious injury, disability or illness.

To date, Help for Heroes have granted £2.6m to Haig Housing’s ‘Coming Home’ campaign. 'Coming Home' aims to raise £20m to provide tailored housing solutions for our wounded Heroes. Specially adapted homes cost £150,000 to £300,000, depending on location, and as such, the campaign aims to provide up to 100 much needed units.

One of the individuals’ supported was Private Pa Modou Njie, 1 Mercian, who had less than a month to go before the end of his six month tour, when he stepped on a IED.

Pa can't wait to get the keys to his brand new house in October. He said "I can't thank HHT enough. I didn't have a clue about how to start buying a house and would have found it physically very difficult to go out and look for one. I am very happy".

Case study

Private Pa Modou Njie, 1 Mercian, had less than a month to go before the end of his six month tour, when he stepped on a IED whilst on a routine foot patrol. In the blast, Pa lost his left leg below the knee and right leg above the knee, but said he felt "lucky to be alive" as it was his third brush with death.

During his long and intensive period of recovery at Headley Court and Help for Heroes run Recovery Centre, Tedworth House, the Gambian national approached Haig Housing Trust for assistance with finding suitable housing for when he is discharged from the Army.

Pa has not let his injuries deter him from achieving other goals he has set himself, and he told HHT he wished to go to Aston University in Birmingham to study accountancy once he has been medically discharged from the Army. HHT began to identify suitable properties in Birmingham, and Pa fell in love with a house on a new build estate. As the house was still in the construction phase, HHT liaised with the builders, Persimmon Homes, to adapt the layout to suit Pa's needs. Two of the bedrooms were knocked together to create a large accessible bedroom for Pa, and the bathroom converted to a wet room. This left another bedroom and bathroom for when Pa has visitors. A stair lift is also to be fitted, provided by the Army. Persimmon have called it "The Haig Model" and HHT hope to be able to use it again for other cases requiring adapted properties.

Pa can't wait to get the keys to his brand new house in October. He said "I can't thank HHT enough. I didn't have a clue about how to start buying a house and would have found it physically very difficult to go out and look for one. I am very happy".

Haig Housing Trust has the full support of H4H – their work is essential and H4H is proud to support them in achieving their goals.

Help for Heroes have granted £12,000 to support Land Based Management courses for 8 Wounded, Injured and Sick Veterans through HighGround.

HighGround’s mission is to support and improve the wellbeing of those who have served in our Armed Forces using safe, rural environments where they can access new career and vocational opportunities in the land-based sector.

Individuals will be guided by subject matter experts, alongside other Service Leavers and Veterans.

Visit the HighGround website to read more about how Help for Heroes funding will be helping Veterans.

Help for Heroes have provided grant funding of £13,600 to Leeds University.

The funding will be used for a research project to enhance our knowledge and develop our understanding of the mentoring requirements of our Wounded Injured or Sick in transition from the Military to Civilian Life.

Early in 2013, wounded Veteran Martyn Gibbons MBE approached us with the concept of ‘Military Mountain Bikers’; a purpose built mountain biking centre in the North West run by qualified wounded personnel offering users a fabulous centre, with the added bonus of inspirational instructors. Knowing Martyn’s determination and commitment to the project, we were fully behind him.

Martyn sustained shrapnel wounds to his legs whilst on active duties in Afghanistan and after numerous operations, was confined to a wheelchair. He has since battled to regain the use of his legs and thanks to his determination, can now walk with the aid of crutches. Despite his injuries, Martyn has found mountain biking to be a valuable tool in his recovery and on-going rehabilitation.

“After going through the various stages of recovery I found the one constant I had in my rehabilitation was the ability to ride my mountain bike. The sense of being able to achieve something despite the setbacks in my recovery has been a great aid to keeping motivated.”

Through the Military Mountain Bikers project, Martyn hopes to offer the opportunity to enjoy this exciting outdoor sport to other veterans. Additionally, he aims to enhance the integration of military families into the local community. The project will achieve this by employing a core group of Veterans who are wounded, injured or sick on a part-time and flexible basis offering them the chance to train as mountain bike instructors. Once trained, individuals will provide training and other activities to other veterans, young people and members of wider community groups.

Grant funding from Help for Heroes initially funded Martyn’s position, as well as an assistant. This has allowed the financial freedom needed to get the project off the ground. Additional funding provided the equipment and associated training costs of three further veterans to help run the programme.

The project has also received funding from other major charities including the Princes’ Foundation Endeavour Fund, The Poppy Factory and Lancashire County Council Armed Forces Veterans Fund.

Help for Heroes initial grant funding to SVGCA meant that a 3 bedroom house at Penicuik could be refurbished to provide accommodation in support of the Mark Wright GC Recovery Centre in Edinburgh.

In 2014, Help for Heroes announced further grant funding to the charity to construct five new specialist properties in the Salvesen area of Edinburgh.

Help for Heroes is funding 65% of the development, which consists of two and three bedroomed units to cater for young families.

As with all SVGCA homes, they will be available to disabled veterans and their families for life and will be designed to meet their specialist needs.

Peter Minshall, chief executive of SVGCA, said: “There is no doubt that this magnificent lead grant from Help for Heroes provides the green light for us to complete our building programme in Edinburgh which will benefit five more disabled veterans and their families.”

Serve On’s mission is to integrate and manage holistically all aspects of transition from military to civilian life to enable individuals to address their past in a way that empowers them to take full responsibility for their future and maximise their full potential.

They aim to do this while ensuring that individuals are able to access the support available to them in a way that meets their personalised needs.

Serve On and Pathfinder Experience

With years of experience indeveloping and delivering leadership, mentoring and volunteering programmes with Armed Forces personnel transitioning from service to civilian life,Serve On worked in partnership with Help for Heroes to develop and deliver the Pathfinder Experience.

The Pathfinder Experience represents a personalised approach to coping with transition to the civilian workplace.

The Pathfinder Experience helps participants to:

Establish a clear understanding of their life; past, present and future.

Become independent and able to take responsibility for their future.

Complete their transition to a more positive life.

Understand the skills they have developed and how to translate them.

Feel employable.

Understand what their employment options are.

Create a CV and feel confident about the interview process.

Plan a vision of their future.

How the funding was used:

The £99,000 grant from Help for Heroes was used to establish and fund the delivery of the Pathfinder Programme for the first two years (2012-2014).

Help for Heroes are proud to be supporting the work of SkillForce. The educational charity works in partnership with 150 schools in England, Scotland and Wales to help young people at risk of dis-engaging with main stream education.

The SkillForce team is predominantly made up of Veterans who use their highly developed skills and life experiences to nurture confidence, improve academic ability and act as credible role models for young people.

SkillForce first approached Help for Heroes in 2009 for help with funding an Internship programme for Wounded, Injured or Sick personnel as part of their recovery.

The program was a huge success and to date, your donations have allowed us to provide grant funding of £846,000 to support this highly successful venture which has helped employ over 25 Veterans.

Peter Cross OBE, Chief Executive at Skillforce says; "SkillForce is absolutely delighted that Help for Heroes has agreed to fund SkillForce to deliver a part of its’ Pathfinder programme for Wounded, Injured or Sick during their recovery. This is a natural development of 6 years of activities between the two charities which has both supported WIS but also changed the lives of thousands of young people."

One of the individuals who has benefitted from our partnership with Skillforce is Mark. After being Medically Discharged following diagnosis from PTSD, Mark wanted to feel like there was still a chance of a fulfilling second career;

“I now do something I really enjoy. I have also found that being involved with various voluntary organisations has allowed me to feel a ‘purpose’ once again and has allowed me to turn what was once a negative in to something positive and I feel that being diagnosed with PTSD has been a driving force for me to get more from life.

The support from Help for Heroes has been a big contributor in my ongoing recovery process, and in the future I hope to do more for the charity in order to help other soldiers who find themselves in a position I once was.”

Help for Heroes are really pleased to announce we will be continuing our financial support to Step Together, the organisation formerly known as World Wide Volunteering, marking the fifth year of our partnership.

A pilot study was run in 2011 aiming to prove the use of volunteering as a tool to recovery, re-training and rehabilitation, leading to career transition amongst injured service personnel. The study was supported by Help for Heroes funding and approved by the Army Recovery Capability and the benefits of using volunteering are now widely acknowledged.

Grant funding was then awarded by Help for Heroes in 2012 to support the salary costs of three Volunteer Project Managers within the PRU at Edinburgh and at the Tedworth House and Catterick Recovery Centres. The Volunteer Project Managers act as the link between individuals who seek support and the volunteering opportunity.

To date, Help for Heroes has provided grant funding of £846,000 to support the hugely successful program which has engaged with over 1768 wounded, injured and sick personnel!

Those who have taken part in the Step Together programme have benefitted from:

Increased social integration and personal confidence building for future development.

A firm foundation for early work placements (through partners etc.) and a sound life-style change.

Stronger family inclusion in the recovery process through individual and group/team activities.

Richard Illingworth from Step Together says;"Thank you so much. It goes without saying that we are so thrilled with this generous grant, without which we simply would not be able to reach all those that need support. Step Together are so proud of our close relationship and partnership with Help for Heroes. Thank you for all your guidance and help, and constant support."

A successful partnership between Help for Heroes and The Princes’ Trust has been up and running since September 2010. In total, Help for Heroes has committed £1,032,846 to enable wounded, injured and sick tri-Service personnel and veterans to participate in fully funded and bespoke secondments with The Prince’s Trust Team programme.

Each year around 30 individuals complete a secondment on the Team programme or take up another development opportunity with The Prince’s Trust thanks to this funding.

Opportunities are open both to individuals who are soon to be medically discharged from service and to Veterans.

Team is a 12-week personal development course that supports and inspires unemployed and disadvantaged 16 to 24 year olds. The 12 weeks include:

A residential activity week

Work on community projects

Work placements

A team challenge that involves caring for others

A team presentation in which Team members recount their experiences

Secondees on Team gain a massive boost in skills and confidence. A recent survey of all Team secondees (not just injured, wounded and sick personnel) showed:

90% felt they could work more effectively with others in a Team

84% reported they would be more willing to take responsibility for projects in the future

Skills that are developed include leadership, communication and problem-solving through a variety of practical team building activities which also benefit the local community.

For Veteran Chris Emptage the course was a lifeline; “I’ve always felt a sense of duty to others so I jumped at the chance for a fresh start working with vulnerable young people in need of support. It’s really helped me towards overcoming my past".

Wings for Warriors aims to re-train injured Service personnel as commercial pilots. The training allows graduates the potential for an exciting and challenging future, which will draw upon the personal characteristics developed in their military careers.

Help for Heroes has been able to grant Wings for Warriors £45,000 towards the programme which will fund many more injured Service personnel on the course.

Wings for Warriors believes that exceptional people deserve exceptional opportunities. The training requires students to challenge themselves holistically and places emphasis on physical, psychological and social development. Over time students will re-build their own confidence, capability and pride at the same time as working towards a recognised civilian qualification.

If you are interested in applying for a new grant or wish to renew an existing grant funding, please click here.